Rescue Mutts: Ruff to the Rescue
by Sky the white dragon
Summary: Four Auto-Dogs from Canis-tron make their way to earth to be given a mission from Optimus Prime. To pose as a team of Rescue Dogs, partnered with a family of heroes on the island of Griffin Rock. (A Prequel to Greendogg's story and Rescue Bots fic)
1. Chapter 1

Light years away from the Milky Way Galaxy, was a small shuttle that seemed to be flying through an asteroid field. Inside, four canine-like creatures lay in stasis pods, completely unaware that the shuttle's communication system had activated. On the screen was a large black and tan dog with floppy ears, a thick pelt and intimidating jaws. Around his neck he wore a blue and red collar, while on his back and around his shoulders was a soft but tough canine vest.

"I have a message for all Auto-dogs scattered throughout the galaxies. Though Canis-tron has fallen, we still stand."

Shortly after, a map of the Milky Way popped up on the screen.

"Follow these coordinates to join us. Priority: Prime."

And with that, the call ended and the shuttle's engines activated, it then headed towards the location that had been sent to its navigation system.

* * *

Several weeks later, the shuttle crashed on the runway of what looked like a small abandoned airport. The facility was located in Northern Nevada and looked as if it hadn't been used in several years. Moments later, the four extraterrestrial life forms exited the craft. They looked like dogs and if one didn't look too closely, it could be seen in their behavior. But household fido, they were not.

This group of newcomers had smooth, shiny skin, making them look as if they were made of steel. All over their hairless bodies were large, fine, black lines in small pairs or trios. They were arranged in odd fashions, like foreign letters in black ink. Some were small; these were mostly on the teams long muzzles with with black-doggish noses, or on the paws with long toes and fearsome claws. Some were large and bold, these sat on the flanks, haunches and chest. They also had lengthy, thin tails and no ears. Their eyes were frightening, pupils constricted into cat like slits that floated in the pale blue orbs that were their eyes.

The thing that made them seem even a little safe to be near, were the metal collars they wore that also sported blinking lights of all colors and silver coin-like tags. One of them had a red collar, another a blue collar, one an orange one and the last, a green one.

The first three seemed uncertain, placing their five fingered-claws down slowly and carefully; they proceeded as though they were walking through a mine field. The fourth on the other hand was curious about his new surroundings; his greenish skin rippled with muscle and excitement and his whip-like tail wagged back and forth, while his muzzle sniffed and snorted in the dust on the hanger floor.

"What is this place?" he asked with a nose covered in grime.

"Earth," a voice answered.

The four canines quickly turned around and saw a large mastiff stepping out one of the buildings. He walked towards them, carrying the air of a king, his thick black and brown fur made him seem even more regal. His wide, far reaching gait closed the distance between the pack and this large dog. The team immediately got themselves in line; standing side by side with puffed out chests and lowered tails to show this massive breed his dominance. He wagged his bushy black and tan tail gently to show his good intentions.

"And I am Optimus Prime."

"Rescue Team Four-Seventeen," the alien with the reddish skin replied.

Optimus turned his head to the speaker in disbelief.

"I was not aware that rescue teams were… still active."

"Wherever there is an emergency, there are Rescue Mutts, Sir." Said the one with a distinctive blackish-blue color.

The orange skinned one, who seemed to be the youngest of the group, tilted his head and raised the ridge of his left eye.

"Wait, why wouldn't we be active? How long were we in stasis?" he asked.

"We better check in with Canis-tron H.Q." Said the red one, looking at his companions

The Tibetan Mastiff's ears dropped.

"That will not be necessary… or possible, Canis-tron is no longer our home, and this planet is." He explained.

The four Rescue Mutts stood there in shock and looked at each other nervously.

* * *

**_A routine stroll with four Mutts in stasis,_**

**_Years later, awoke in the strangest of places._**

**_Earth was their home now, and in addition,_**

**_Optimus Prime made a decision:_**

**_'Learn from the humans, help and protect,_**

**_Live in their world, earn their respect._**

**_A family of heroes will be your allies,_**

**_To others remain canines in disguise!'_**

**_Rescue Mutts, ruff to the rescue!_**

**_Humans in need, heroes indeed!_**

**_Rescue Mutts, ruff to the rescue,_**

**_Rescue… Mutts!_**

**_With Cody to guide them and show them the way,_**

**_Rescue Mutts will be saving the day._**

**_Rescue Mutts, ruff to the rescue,_**

**_Rescue Mutts!_**

* * *

Gryphon Rock was an exceptional place; not many places could argue to being first in the new tech. A tiny island off of Maine, this little world was practically a dream to those who inhabited it. But there was the occasional human being who had yet to feel as if this paradise was complete.

Such was the case of 12-year old Cody Burns. He was relatively normal, besides the fact that he came from a family of heroes. His Police chief father Charlie, his 25-year old Firefighter Brother Kade, his 23-year old construction engineer brother Graham and his 22-year old helicopter pilot sister Dani; and who was he? Well, that was to be decided.

But he didn't complain, if anything he was a happy boy. He didn't complain or whine; he was surprisingly mature for his age. As of now, Cody was riding his bike down the street. He sped passed the high-tech lawn mower and the balding man with the jetpack that hovered above the streets.

"Hi Mr. Harrison!" The boy called out. The man waved back and began to sway and swerve before he was able to readjust himself. "I'm okay!" He shouted as Cody rode down the street, chuckling.

Cody continued down the street, until he heard the siren of a police car behind him.

**"Cody Burns. Griffin Rock PD. Please pull over."**

The bike squealed to a stop. His father pulled up in the blue and white police car. In the passenger seat, Kade sat with his typical cocky grin. In the back sat Dani and Graham.

"Thought you'd like to wish me luck on my trip to the mainland."

Cody sighed, "Why do you have to go all the way there, again? Buster is a great dog, he can come and helps us whenever we need him." Referring to the stray dog they had found not to long ago on the beach.

"Progress son, we need new dogs to help us do things that us humans just can't do. Plus, Buster lives in Coast City; I don't think Capt. Duncan would like sending him here every time we need him."

"Forget it Dad." his boastful brother said from the passenger seat. "If Cody had his way, we'd be the pets."

"Course, you'd have to get someone to make you their pet first, Kade." Dani chuckled in the back.

"And the collar might clash with your outfit." Graham laughed with her.

"Knock it off, Graham!" Kade scowled.

"Don't forget to be at the dedication this afternoon." Charlie reminded Cody.

"Think I could meet the-" Cody asked hesitantly, but Dani cut him off. "Cody, we're getting specially trained rescue-dogs, not pets. "

"Sorry, buddy. For authorized handlers only." Graham said, sheepishly.

Cody sighed. "So in other words, everyone in the family but me."

"Gotta drop these trouble makers off, then I have to catch a chopper to the mainland." Charlie said.

"You get to school now, okay Bud?" Charlie said to his son, putting a hand on his shoulder. "And Cody? Give it a little time. I'm sure you'll find your place soon."

"Okay." Cody said, glumly.

The police car pulled away from the curb and to the rescue station, leaving Cody behind.

* * *

Optimus strolled into the into the solitary bunker that the Rescue Mutts were using as their temporary Pack Den. The inside was still dusty, but the crates and equipment had been pushed to the back wall, the lights far overhead had been turned on and the floor was now littered with shiny bowls of reflective water (that had been spilled several times), squeaky toys and rawhide bones.

Heatwave and Chase were playing tug-o-war with a knotted piece of rope, growling playfully at each other while occasionally shaking their heads to the sides with playful violence to snatch away the toy from the other. When one lost his grip, the other would take the toy and run, leaving the loser to chase him for it; but after a minute or two, the keeper of the rope would slow down and let the other catch the opposite end of the cord to start the game over.

Boulder was laying on his lizard-like belly, busily gnawing on a piece of deer antler that had been given to him. However, his strong jaws would often quickly reduce the chew bone to pieces that clicked and clacked on the concrete floor. This was apparent by the pile of old, cracked shards of hardened cartilage behind him. He appeared to be working on his 8th antler. Blades was tossing a yellow, rubber ball into the air; whenever he caught it and bit down, it would let out a mouse-ish squeak that would make him more excited.

Blades became so enthralled with the squeaky thing that when he threw it up, he missed it. It bounced away from him, letting out its mocking cry every time it hit the ground. Blades went after it but missed it each grab; when he stood on his toes to catch it in the air with an open maw or when he bent his front legs and tried to catch it as it hit the ground. The ball finally stopped at the paw of the mastiff. Blades stood before the ball and eagerly bent to grab it in his teeth before he caught sight of the black and tan paw that was gently placed on the rubber orb to keep it from rolling and being a distraction.

The orange-ish Canis-tronian immediately backed away from his Alpha sheepishly and walked towards the others. His sudden conformity and his ceasing of his puppyish antics caught the attention of his pack mates and they all dropped whatever toy or bone they had in their mouths, got into a line and sat down on their haunches, giving Prime their full attention. Optimus walked in front of the line-up.

"Heatwave" The reddish alien sat straighter.

"Chase" The blackish-blue creature blinked his odd eyes.

"Blades" The orange-ish one squirmed his toes.

"Boulder" The greenish individual nodded.

"After careful consideration, I've chosen your next mission." The large dog turned around to face them.

"Yes!" Heatwave whispered with his narrow tail sliding back and forth behind him, just skimming the floor .

"We are happy to join the battle, sir." Chase puffed out his chest and bowed his head.

"So, when do we move out?" Heatwave asked.

"You do not." Optimus said. The rescue team tilted their heads at him.

"As, perhaps the last Rescue Mutts in existence, you are uniquely suited to help the people of this planet, as well as learn from them."

"You will be ambassadors to the people of this planet, as the first Auto-dogs to live with a human family. Study their customs, follow their rules and work together to keep this planet safe. During this mission, you four must appear to the humans as Earth dogs; Canines in disguise."

"What?!" Heatwave exclaimed.

"You are right to question what's best for your Pack Heatwave, which is why I'm putting you in charge of this mission." Optimus said. He walked forwards, stretching out his neck to offer his nose to the young, red planetary foreigner while also wagging his tail gently; a sign of encouragement. Heatwave looked at his leader with uncertainty and then tentatively lowered his head and touched his nose to the Prime's while also wagging his tail slowly and making sure his head was lower than that of his superior.

Optimus backed away. "Come with me."

He led the rescue team outside where four dogs sat; obeying the orders of the bigger, more impressive Tibetan Mastiff. There was a liver-spotted Dalmatian, a black and silver German shepherd, a Bernese Mountain dog and a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever. On a nearby table, was their collars, four canine vests, and pictures of odd vehicles that none of the four rescuers had ever seen.

"First: to maintain your cover, you will each adopt the form of an earth dog, human being's most popular pet and rescue animal."

"Whoa, look at you!" Boulder walked towards the Bernese Mountain dog, that stood up and stretched to sniff at the odd creature. Boulder wagged his tail and smiled at the dog. "Your a powerhouse, aren't you Big Guy."

Optimus watched the green alien. "Boulder, do your wish to assimilate first?" Boulder nodded and stepped forwards.

He gently touched noses with the dog and he closed his eyes. He blinked them open and closed a few times once they were done, his eyes became dark brown. He began to grow in fur as well, fur that was black, long and complete with rust and white marks. White markings appeared around his paws, at the end of his tail, and around his wet nose. A white blaze that started on his forehead and made its way to the end of his nose. He also had a large patch of white on his chest and underside. Rust colored markings were found around his mouth and all four of his ankles. Two small rust spots gave him eyebrows that added to his expressions. He also gained floppy ears.

He stepped back and shook himself, unused to the feeling of fur on his skin. He turned around and around to catch sight of his furry tail. He looked at his companions and wagged his tail at them.

Heatwave stepped forward next. He examined the Dalmatian with a scathing look that made it lower its head and tail in intimidation. "Primitive fella, aren't you?" He said as he stood before the spotted dog. "But, you help the humans do what I did back home."

Heatwave's tone must've told the dalmatian that he wasn't in trouble, because it began to raise its head. Heatwave leaned down and touched noses with the dog. Short, white fur grew from his reddish skin. Spots appeared all over him; on his paws, on his sides, on his tail, on his head, even in his mouth. On his floppy ears, the scheme was reversed; white spots on liver ears. Oddly enough, Heatwave kept his icy blue eyes.

Heatwave stepped backwards and looked at his legs with a raised eyebrow. The coloring could use some work, but...

Chase's turn was next. He looked at the German shepherd. "Is this the canine used to aid Earth Authorities?" Optimus nodded.

Chase touched noses with the confident looking sheep guarder. Chase grew in a long silver and black pelt. A black facial mask stretched from around his eyes to the end of his snout and nose, ironically reminding one of a robber. A black saddle-like patch grew in on his back, starting at his nape and at the end of his bushy, furry tail. His fuzzy, black ears sat erect on his head.

Chase backed away and sat down without a second thought.

Blades looked at the Duck-toller Retriever, and examined it with a slanted head. Optimus walked to him and gently nudged his shoulder with his nose. "It appears your choice has been made for you."

Blades walked up to the timid retriever and they touched noses. Orange hair grew, semi long and orange. White markings materialized on his feet, snout, chest, belly and tail-tip, a long white blaze sat on the front of his head. He also gained webbed toes, and triangular high-set ears. Blades looked at his tail and made it wag, suddenly overcome with the desire to chase it.

Optimus called their attention with a small, but powerful bark. He led them away from the startled dogs and to the table. Optimus walked underneath and behind it. He stood on his hind legs and put his paws on the table. The Rescue Mutts mimicked him in the front.

"Your collars have been modified to respond to and summon the vehicles used in your specific occupation." He said as they looked at the pieces of metal, and the pictures of the vehicles beside them. The red collar sat beside a fire engine, the blue collar sat beside a police car, the green collar sat beside a bulldozer and the orange collar was beside a helicopter.

Optimus grabbed the red collar in his teeth, and then got on all fours. As he held it, he looked at Heatwave. The brand-new Dalmatian walked under the table towards him and put his head through collar. The microchip inside made the metal tighten until it was comfortably settled in the fire dogs throat. Then it morphed and shimmered until in the metal contraption had become leather, and the silver ion-like object hanging in the front reshaped itself into a brass, hydrant.

Heatwave moved beside Optimus and helped to distribute the collars and tags to their rightful owners. Chase got blue with a silver star, Boulder got green with a silver wrench, and Blades got orange with a silver helicopter.

Everyone got their collars and Optimus once again stood upright and put his paws on the table. "Also, you will be given canine vests; fully equipped with everything you and your partners will need."

He distributed vests of colors that matched those of the dogs collars. Blades began to fiddle with his vest almost immediately. He was startled when airplane wings suddenly unfolded from the sides, seemingly from nowhere. Blades hovered in the air for a bit, before immediately tucking the wings back into his vest.

"Wait, I'll have to fly?"He asked, crouching down to the ground with his belly brushing the pebbles in the driveway, suddenly nervous.

Boulder stepped up to Optimus. "He doesn't like heights." Boulder revealed to the mastiff.

A friendly whistle sounded from down the driveway, Chief Burns was walking towards the odd bunch of canines. Optimus walked towards him with a wagging tail and was greeted with a friendly pat on the head.

Optimus turned and sat down next the the Chiefs legs. "This is Chief Charlie Burns." He said, looking up at the man as he said his name. "He knows our secret and will help you keep yours."

Optimus stood up, regal and proud. "Rescue Mutts, Good Luck!"

Chief Burns turned to the ordinary dogs that lay down in the dirt, completely unaware of what was happening. "It is an honor and a privilege." He said, unaware.

"Over Here." Heatwave barked, bringing his attention to the real aliens.

* * *

**I asked Greendogg if I could write a prequel to his/her story "Working Dogs"**

** And he/she said yes! I suggest you check it out! It's really good.**


	2. Chapter 2

Everyone and their grandma came to the ceremony that afternoon. The citizens gathered around the stage that the Chief was currently standing on as he set everything up, namely four colored stands. Cody had only just arrived; he parked his bike and set up the anti-theft mechanism.

"Cody! Come here!" He turned to the crowd and saw his best friend, Francine Elma "Frankie" Greene. She motioned him over and disappeared back into the crowd. Cody walked in after her. He pushed his way into the crowd looking for her. When he had found his way to the front, there was Frankie in her girly outfit, her father and the island's chief scientist, Dr. Greene with his lab coat and polka-dotted tie. On the ground next to them, their two Dobermans, Edison and Aristotle, were sitting with happy faces and lolling tongues.

"Hey Doc. Frankie." Cody greeted them.

"Isn't this exciting?" Frankie held a pamphlet in her hands that she squeezed in excitement. "The tech is like nothing I've ever seen!" The Chief interrupted Frankie's exhilaration when he cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Thank you for coming, folks." Cody's father began.

"I'm not talking about the rescue stuff! I'm talking about this!" She showed him the pamphlet that he could now see was from the Griffin Rock Museum. "The new exhibit at the museum! Cyber wire infused with Pleistocene DNA!"

Cody returned his attention back to his Dad.

"Our town has always been on the cutting edge of new technology. Now, thanks to our friends in Washington, I give you latest in Emergency response, the Rescue Mutts!

Four doors opened in the floor of the stage and four dogs jogged out and hopped up onto the pedestals and sat down. A Liver-spotted Dalmatian with a collar, vest and boots that were a matching red, a Bernese Mountain dog with matching equipment in pale green, a black-and-silver German Shepherd in dark blue and a Nova Scotia Duck-Tolling Retriever in orange. Four vehicles rose behind the dogs; a fire truck, a bulldozer, a police car, and a helicopter.

The audience clapped at the sight of the canines. The Chief turned to the dogs. "Rescue Mutts! Transform!" He commanded.

The Dalmatian stood on his stand and the crowd watched as dual water cannons rose on a articulated robot arm that rose from the back of the dogs vest. His collar stretched like water to cover his neck and reached to his head, giving him a visor made of a glass-looking substance for protecting his eyes and his boots lengthened upwards to give more protection to the legs.

The blade of a bulldozer erupted from the Berner's vest, rising high into the air by the lift cylinders attached to his sides. It lowered to the front of the dog, highlighting the fact that it was proportionate to the size of the creature using it instead of an actual bulldozer. His collar and boots did the same thing as the Dalmatian and an arm reached from the back of his vest and placed a hard hat on his head.

Small panels in the German Shepherds collar slid open to reveal red and blue police lights that matched the ones that popped out of the shoulders of his vest. His collar gave him a visor that looked like something off of a SWAT officer's helmet and a flashlight was revealed on the front of his vest.

The Duck-Toller vest let lose jet-like wings from the shoulders and the collar stretched forwards and morphed into aviator goggles for the dog. Next to the wings, a small towline was attached on a rig.

"These dogs will streamline our resources. Now, one human paired with one dog will be able to do the work of an entire police force" Chief clarified, placing a hand on the back of German shepherd, who straightened up.

"Fire Department" Kade stepped forwards with a cocky smile. The Dalmatian gave him an irritated look from the corner of its eye.

"Emergency response" Dani stepped forwards with her helmet under her arm and placed a hand on the Duck Toller's shoulder, but she didn't notice the dog shiver underneath her touch.

"And Engineering Core." Graham came up looking at his Data-Pad while the Bernese mountain dog moved his eyes to see everything in front of him.

"These dogs have been bred to be stronger, faster, smarter and braver than the average dog." The family came together on the stage and the dogs hopped of their podiums and walked forwards to stand up front. "So you can sleep at night, knowing that Griffin Rock is protected by the best technology and humanity has to offer."

The crowd cheered and applauded.

The Burns hooked color-coded leashes to the dog's collars and led them down the steps of the stage and into the crowd. Kade immediately walked over to Haley and attempted to ask her out on a date, leaving the spotted dog to look at him with exasperation. But she simply denied his invitation and instead got on her knees and gently stroked the dog's shoulder. Dani was speaking with Milo while her dog sat down patiently at her feet. Chief was allowing a few children to come up and look at the shepherd's equipment and Graham was still looking at his data-pad. His dog didn't really seem to mind though.

The large, furry dog was looking and sniffing at everything he could reach, two of which happened to be the Greene's Dobermans. Aristotle and Edison approached him eagerly and their owners didn't try to stop them considering Doc Greene was conversing with the Chief and Frankie was still reading her pamphlet. The Dobermans sniffed and snorted in the rescue dog's fur.

Boulder sniffed at them to.

"Hi-" He attempted to say, before Heatwave gave him a quick nip on his floppy, black ear with his short, front teeth. It didn't hurt, but Boulder flinched and, realizing his mistake, opted for simply touching noses.

However, Cody noticed.

"Hey, that dog just said something." He tried to whisper to Frankie, but she was too absorbed in the pamphlet. So Cody walked forwards and got on one knee in between the Greene's dogs and his families new pets.

He turned his attention to the Dalmatian and Berner. The spotted canine regarded him silently with no interest in his eyes, but the Bernese Mountain Dog approached him with his tail wagging.

"Um…Hello?" He asked the dogs, trying to get them to talk back. There was no response except for the mountain dog moving forwards to nuzzle his hands. Just like an ordinary dog.

"Hey, kid!" Cody turned around and saw Huxley Prescott, the current island news reporter, holding a camera. "Can you move? I want a picture of the Burns family of heroes."

Cody politely backed out of the way of the camera and Huxley snapped his photos. The family ignored the reporter, still socializing with the public. Cody sighed sadly; once again, he was looked over.

Chief Burns' comm suddenly beeped. "This is Chief Burns. Go ahead."

A voice buzzed and Chief reverted to his commanding voice. "Fire at the Natural History Museum!"

The Dalmatian barked and yanked at its tether. It pulled its red leash out of Kade's hand, scampered up the stage stairs and jumped into the fire truck's open door. But the other dogs stayed exactly where they were.

"Hey, I didn't tell it to do that." The Chief quickly came up with an explanation.

"They're excited, son. Didn't I tell you that this'll be their first official mission?" Chief explained.

Everyone ordered their dogs into the vehicles. Chase and Chief hopped into the police car, Graham walked towards the bulldozer, but hit his head, as he wasn't looking where he was going and knocked his hard hat off. Boulder picked up the hat in his mouth and leaped into the vehicle, while Graham followed, rubbing his head. Kade had to shove his dog over to get in, it was obvious that the Dalmatian did not get along with him; and Dani literally had to drag her dog into the copter.

Everyone made their way to the museum as fast as they could, but Dani and Blades were having some…issues. Issues meaning that the orange dog would not sit still, he kept shaking and moving around in the cockpit, whimpering like a puppy.

"Come on! Be still, I need to see!" She shouted as the dog jumped up into her lap. But instead, Blades choose to hunker down and cling to her. To show effort at keeping his secret and doing what he was told, he looked at her, tilted his head in a questioning manner and whined.

"Sit. Down." Dani yelled while tugging harshly on the dogs collar in an attempt to get him on the floor.

"We're being outrun by a bulldozer."

He did get down and he did sit, but he was right in front of her legs and he put his head on her knees and covered his eyes with his paws, making it more difficult for her to move.

Dani groaned. These dogs would need some serious re-training.

Kade and Chief got there first. Before Kade could get out, the spotted dog leaped over his lap and onto the ground, shaking himself.

"Clear the museum of civilians!" Chief ordered. The german shepherd ran to the front of the building and dropped small, round, metal discs from his vest. These disks flashed and suddenly, there were orange, holographic traffic cones lighting up a path for the people exiting the museum. The dog barked loudly to draw their attention to the route.

Once the citizens were evacuated, the german shepherd charged into the burning building. He backed out of the building dragging two mummies, holding their bandages in his sharp teeth.

Chief approached him and got on one knee. "These humans did not respond to me." Chase whispered to him.

Chief chuckled and patted the shepherd on the back. "I don't think we have to worry too much about that, partner."

Boulder and Graham were having their own problems.

"We need to move the plants to block the fire." Graham order.

"Bu-, uh" The Bernese Mountain dog stuttered, "uh- woof. Ah-woof." He tried to salvage the situation. He didn't want to destroy the peaceful and balanced design of the square. Leaving Graham confused as to why he dog wouldn't move.

Dani's helicopter touched down on the ground, having finally arrived.

The moment the door opened, Blades hurled himself out of the aerial vehicle and plopped himself onto the ground on his belly. He sighed in relief at having made it through the flight.

Kade laughed at the display and at his sister. "Nice of you to show up, Dani." He teased as she jumped out of the vehicle.

"Would've been here sooner if my dog wasn't such a big baby!" She scoffed.

"Next time, I'm walking."

The dog whined softly and followed his irritated handler. Nobody noticed Cody in the bushes, crouching with a suspicious look on his face as he watched the dog.

Once the fire had been extinguished, everyone went inside to examine the cause. Graham looked closely at a mechanical saber-tooth tiger that had a small rip in its fur.

"Looks like a short started the fire. He explained to the family while the dogs sat patiently around them. "But this should hold it. Cyber wire is too much for these old circuits."

Cody stealthily stuck his head into through the door, and when no one was looking, he sprinted through the door and hid behind a pillar.

As everyone gather around the prehistoric feline, a jolt of electricity could be heard from a nearby exhibit, a mammoth that held its trunk high in the air. They looked shocked at the display as the wires in the pachyderm's neck came a loose.

No longer fixed, the mammoth's head swung and its trunk was heading directly towards Graham! The Chief jumped in to protect Graham and the both braced themselves for the blow…

Until Heatwave launched himself into them, his spotted body carrying enough momentum to push the two humans and himself out of the path of the massive attraction, that instead planted itself into the wall.

Heatwave stood shakily on his legs and approached the Chief. The dog whined. Chief patted the Dalmatian on his head. "Good Boy" He whispered, before he helped Graham to his feet.

"I didn't tell him to do that." Kade stuttered, shocked at almost losing his brother.

"I wouldn't complain." Dani replied, also shaken.

"Your dog was still in rescue mode," Chief stood up, motioning to the Dalmatian who was surrounded by his fellow Rescue Mutts, all eager to make sure he was okay. "You told him to save lives, so he did."

"Your welcome, Graham." Kade's arrogant attitude returned as he crossed his arms. He didn't notice Heatwave growl at his statement.

Everyone left; Heatwave leaned on Boulder while his legs recovered from his daring leap. Cody, who was still hidden, watched as the Dalmatian's mouth moved slightly, almost as if he was whispering something to the dog supporting him.

The young human's train of thought was interrupted as water from the sprinklers dripped onto him. He decided to leave after his family, but he didn't notice the sparks of electricity, followed by saber-tooth tiger's eyes glowing.


	3. Chapter 3

It was particularly dull in the living room where the extraterrestrial hounds were set up to sleep. They all sat in soft-sided, collapsible crates on squashy cushions hidden in the dark, each sleeping in their own special positions. Chase was resting his head on his forelegs while his rear weight was on his hip, leaving his legs spread to his side. Boulder was curled up almost into a complete ball, his tail covering his nose and eyes, but everyone knew that he wasn't sleeping. He was actually thinking of all the interesting and foreign things he had seen that day, and what tomorrow would hold. Blades was laying on his back with his feet in the air, his mouth wide open and his tongue hanging from the corner of his mouth. He would've looked sleeping if it wasn't for the fact that his tail was wagging and ever so often he would squeak or whine in an attempt to relieve the boredom. Heatwave was lying in the most uncomfortable looking position of all, all four legs bent and on the ground; almost as if he was prepared to spring up and fight. His head on his paws and his tail still; Heatwave was obviously not happy.

Apparently having had enough with whatever was making him so unhappy, Heatwave stood up and stalked out of the room and down the stairs to the garage. The others looked at one another and after some thought, they followed him.

"Where ya going?" Boulder asked as he saw the Dalmatian walking over to the wall.

"I need some space." Heatwave stood up on his back legs and flipped two switches with his paw. "Chief said there was a bunker below street level."

Heatwave walked over to a console that Boulder just so happen to be standing in front of. Instead of asking the Bernese mountain dog to move, Heatwave simply jumped on his back and used the extra height to access the levers on the panel.

"Relic of something called "The Cold War"." The irritated firedog told his pack as he, his temporary footstool and the German shepherd were taken below ground as the floor lowered, leaving Blades on the stairs.

"It appears we are getting some space as well." Chase declared as Heatwave hopped off his teammate.

"Hey, wait for me." Blades said, finally moving to jump down onto the platform. Unfortunately, Heatwave was standing where Blades happened to land and the two of them collapsed into pile with Blades sitting onto of a very cross Heatwave with a collar turned upside down, leaving his tags tangled against his scruff.

"Sorry Heatwave." Blades chuckled nervously as he attempted to right the accident by turning the firedogs collar to the appropriate direction. The platform lowered and the doors sealed shut behind them and silencing the verbal reprimanding Heatwave was ready to give.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Burns family was gathered around the dinner table, eating and laughing. Charlie was at the stove, making some mashed potatoes, while everyone else sat at the table.

The family pretty much proceeded with supper as though everything was normal. Cody, on the other hand, was still thinking over the Rescue Mutts un-doglike behavior today and he attempted to talk about it.

"Dad, how did Kade's dog know to-?" He was interrupted by Dani's request for the carrots.

Graham complies, and Dani brings up her issues with Blades.

"I noticed an issue or two with my retriever, but at least he was well-behaved!"

Kade scowled at her from across the table.

"An issue is one thing, but I saw-" Cody was interrupted again by Charlie putting a giant bowl of mashed potatoes in the middle of the table, wearing an apron with a hula girl on it.

"Kade, Dani, Graham, you guys did great work today!" He congratulated.

Cody looked down at the table, and said, "Can I be excused?"

Charlie nodded and Cody got up, walked over to the fire pole, and slid down.

* * *

For a group of dogs, the Rescue Mutts were surprisingly organized downstairs.

Chase was content removing his collar and polishing (i.e. breathing on it and wiping off the fog) his tags. Boulder was sitting in front of the wall and staring at a picture mounted there and Blades had attempted to make up for the mishap in the elevator by playing tug-o-war with Heatwave and a stuffed Firefighter.

"Optimus or no Optimus," Heatwave growled around the toy in his jaws. "I don't know how long I can put up with this." His pulling became harsher with each word, putting strain on poor Blades' teeth.

"Ordered around," He tugged.

"Others taking the credit," Blades planted his paws best he could, but found himself being dragged by his fangs in the toy; and Heatwave just kept pulling.

"Having to pretend we're flea-bitten animals." Having decided that he would rather take Heatwave's anger over having his teeth yanked out of his mouth, Blades released his grip and allowed Heatwave to have the toy for himself. And after seeing Heatwave shake it back and forth until stuffing came out, Blades deemed that to be one of the best choices he had ever made.

After getting over how close he had come to having to need dentures, Blades joined Heatwave in his complaining.

The Waterdog scoffed. "Well did you see the way my human handles me? My neck is still sore!" He accented the complaint by sticking a paw underneath his collar and pulling on it a bit to get it loose. "It's always "Sit! Sit! Fetch! Stay!" He said, pointing at the ground with his paw like a human scolding their pet. But then his ears, once flat with indignation went loose and he became calm.

"Still," He admitted, "it was nice being a part of an emergency response again." He shrugged.

Chase, who was finally satisfied with his tags, stuck his head through the collar and let it slide down until it rested on his neck. "I find our chief quite competent, there is much he can teach us about Earth's Law Enforcement Procedures." He agreed.

Boulder joined in the conversation while keeping his eyes on the painting on the wall. "The humans do have strange ways," he said tilting his head. "But that's what makes them so interesting." He pointed his right paw at the painting, which was of several dogs sitting around a table like people, while seemingly playing a game with flat pieces of paper they held in their paws and small, round, multi colored chip-like objects.

Heatwave however, had had enough. He spat out the deflated fireman and turned a stern glare to his fellow mutts. "I'm leaving." His tone held little room for argument.

But Boulder still tried. "You can't leave! You're our Alpha!" He protested, taking a step towards his friend.

"Then we'll all go!" He barked. "Those humans will never understand us, we'll never belong here!"

"I know what you mean." The young boy they had seen at the ceremony startled all the dogs, Boulder recognized him as the human whom he had nuzzled against earlier that day.

Recognizing the fact that they had been caught not acting like dogs, they all sat down and resumed their disguises as well as they could. But the human was not to be fooled.

"Don't bother. You're not fooling anybody. Trust me, living on Earth; I know dogs. And you guys?" He chuckled. "Worst dogs, I've ever seen."

Chase, in a rare display of emotion lowered his tail and flattened his ears in disappointment. "We've failed at our mission, our cover is blown. If this human knows, he'll tell the others." The German shepherd said.

"Are you kidding!?" The boy walked over to the dogs and got on his knees among them. "And waste the opportunity to know something they don't, something this huge?" He pointed to himself with a proud look on his face. "I'm the best thing that could have ever happened to your mission. 'Cause I'm going to teach everything you need to know about Earth!"

Blades step forward and sat next to him, his apprehension gone. "Can you teach me how to get my human to stop yelling?" He asked.

"Dani? I don't think anyone can do that." He shrugged and reached out to pat the dog on the head. "I'm Cody, by the way" He introduced himself. Blades enjoyed the scratch on the ears for a moment than he held out his paw for a shake, which Cody accepted.

"I'm Blades." He said with a happy, wagging tail.

"Boulder" The Bernese Mountain Dog said, stretching forward to nudge the boy's shoulder and Cody responded by giving him a rub on the ear as well.

Cody looked at Chase, waiting for his name. "Classified" was all he said.

"That's Chase." Boulder said for his friend. Cody smiled and reached out his hand to scratch the silver and black shepherd's chest right below the tags. Chase tried to hide it, but everyone saw him wagging his tail.

"And I'm Heatwave." He stepped forward, but didn't get close enough for Cody to touch him.

"So, Cody, now that you know what we are," he said, raising a spotted eyebrow. "Name one reason we shouldn't leave this planet right now." He said.

* * *

Cody walked out of the tunnel leading to the lonely hill with the Rescue Mutts walking behind him.

"There are tunnels like this all over the island," He said to them as he jumped up onto a large rock and the dogs sat around the base looking at him. "And they all end in the bunker. Great for sneaking out of the firehouse."

Boulder walked to the edge and gasped. "Whoa!" he breathed. "It's like a million dog tags forged from carbon." He marveled at the sight of the lights in town.

"So beautiful."

Cody sat with his feet hanging off the rock and looked as though he had little idea what Boulder was talking about.

"I…guess it kinda is." He looked at Heatwave, who had climbed up onto the rock with him and had laid down right next to him.

"So, why would you ever want to leave?" He asked innocently.

Heatwave looked at him and tilted his head.

* * *

Moments later, Cody and the rescue mutts were sitting on a hill near the drive- in Movie Theater. On the screen was an old black and white film playing. In the current scene a wire fox terrier was barking loudly as he was chasing as Siamese cat down the sidewalk.

"This is what everyone will expect you to act like." Cody explained.

"See?"

He put down his bucket of popcorn and stood on the grass.

"Stand up straight and hold your tails up. Give it a try."

Boulder, Chase and Blades did as they were told and tried to be as doglike as possible. Heatwave on the other hand sat there, staring at them obviously confused. Cody walked over him folding his arms in front of his chest and looking rather serious.

"Really?" Heatwave asked in a dull tone while tilting his head.

Blades interrupted the moment with the childish act of chasing his tail.

"I don't know where you learned that, but no." said Cody.

Blades got the hint and sat down with the others.

Heatwave approached Cody, his tail now lowered.

"Look Cody, I understand what you're doing what I don't understand is how…"

Heatwave stopped and let out a few short barks.

"Acting like this… is gonna make my ride along respect me." He said.

Cody smiled.

"The trick with Kade is to make him think he's in charge. Trust me, I've been doing it for years."

Just then, Blades, Boulder and Chase were alerted by a loud sound, a sound that belonged to something very big.

"Is that part of the film?" Blades asked.

Everyone turned in the direction where Blades was pointing and saw a big cat with dangerously long fangs walking down the street. The massive feline ripped a low hanging branch off a nearby tree. After crushing the wood with its jaws and tossing it aside, the cat continued its approach towards the drive-in. It was clear to Cody and the Rescue mutts that this was not good…

* * *

**Okay, so this has actually been done for like... a month. But, because it was written around some major tests, I never really got a chance to put it up and I kinda forgot about it.**

**But, here's the third chapter. Hope you enjoy.**


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